Historical Flags Throughout the History of the United States

Throughout the history of this country, there have been far more flags created than most people realize. Our current version of the Stars and Stripes went through quite a few changes and evolved as our nation grew. In addition to our national flag, there were some other flags that spoke volumes about where the population’s mindset was during that specific time period.

The Betsy Ross Flag

Once the Declaration of Independence was signed, a flag was needed to represent the new government. A small committee consisting of George Washington, Robert Morris and her relative George Ross, ended up asking Betsy if she would be willing to take on the job of creating the new symbol of America. Betsy agreed, and ending up altering their design slightly by adding five-sided stars instead of the six-sided they had drawn up.

The 1^st Navy Jack

Of all the nautical flags that have seen use, this one could arguably be the most influential in the early history of the United States. The rattlesnake was traditionally viewed as symbolic against Britain’s rule during the American Revolution, and this particular design was flown from the ships of the Continental navy that were readied in the Delaware River.

In modern naval history, the American navy has flown this flag on the ships that have had the longest active status; once it becomes decommissioned or is made inactive, the flag is then flown on the next oldest ship down the line, and so on.

The Bedford Flag

The Bedford flag is the oldest known flag in existence from the United States. It was allegedly carried by the Bedford Minuteman Company right before the American Revolution started. It has a Latin phrase on it, “Vince Aut Morire”, which translates as “Conquer or Die”.

While these are just a sampling of the unique flags that were created throughout the history of our country, both nautical flags and national flags have impacted the United States in many ways. If you are interested in nautical flags for sale, historical flags or you want to create your own custom flags, check out our website today.